Litigation Lawyers Brisbane
Astris Law is a boutique disputes practice for business owners and decision-makers. When a commercial relationship breaks down, money is owed or court documents arrive, you deal with one senior lawyer who runs the matter end to end: no handovers, no juniors learning on your file, no re-explaining your dispute to a new face every six months.
We act in the Supreme Court, District Court and Magistrates Courts of Queensland, the Federal Court of Australia and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT). Whether the right answer is a firm letter, an urgent injunction or a fully contested trial, the strategy is set by the person who will execute it.
Our Phronesis Litigation service is purpose-built for high-stakes business disputes: practical judgment, applied decisively, with the commercial outcome as the measure of success.
Deadlines That Decide Disputes
Many commercial disputes are won or lost inside statutory windows, before any judge hears argument. A company served with a statutory demand has 21 days to pay or apply to set it aside under section 459G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth); miss it, and the company is presumed insolvent. A director served with an ATO director penalty notice has 21 days to act before the options narrow sharply, and for lockdown notices the liability is already personal. Adjudication under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) runs on timeframes measured in business days. And when assets are about to move offshore or confidential information is walking out the door, an injunction is only worth obtaining today.
This is where the structure of the firm matters. There is no triage queue, no waiting for a partner to free up and assign the matter down the chain. A sole senior practitioner can read the documents, form a view and move the same day. If your deadline has already started running, say so when you call.
Litigation Services
The disputes practice covers the matters Brisbane businesses most commonly face, on both sides of the record.
Commercial Litigation
High-stakes business disputes in the Queensland and federal courts, from pleadings to trial and appeal.
Business Disputes
Contract disputes, misleading and deceptive conduct claims and commercial fallings-out resolved by negotiation or judgment.
Debt Recovery for Creditors
Letters of demand, statutory demands and enforcement, run with the costs-to-recovery ratio front of mind.
Unfair Preference Claim Defence
Defending liquidator clawback claims against creditors who were paid what they were owed.
Shareholder Disputes
Oppression claims, deadlocks and forced exits under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
Statutory Demand Response
Applications to set aside a statutory demand within the strict 21-day window under section 459G of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
Winding-Up Applications
Defending winding-up proceedings against your company or bringing them against a debtor that will not pay.
Freezing Orders & Urgent Injunctions
Urgent interlocutory relief when assets are about to move or damage is about to become irreversible.
Court Proceedings
What to expect when you have been served or need to sue: process, timeframes and strategy.
Defamation
Concerns notices, take-downs and proceedings where publications are doing real commercial damage.
How We Price Litigation
Litigation cannot honestly be quoted as a single fixed number at the outset, because the other side gets a vote on how far it runs. What it can be is staged. We break the matter into stages, give you a written estimate for each and stop at a decision point before the next stage begins. At every decision point you know what has been spent, what the next step costs and whether the likely recovery still justifies it.
Costs strategy is part of the work, not an afterthought. Under Queensland costs rules, a well-timed formal offer to settle under the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld) or a properly constructed Calderbank offer can shift significant costs onto the other side if they unreasonably reject it and do worse at trial. Used early, that pressure settles disputes that would otherwise grind on.
Every matter starts with the firm's fixed-fee 60-minute consultation: real advice in the session and a written scope and price for any further work before you commit to anything. For the firm's broader approach to fees, see how we price work.
Why a Boutique for Litigation
Senior judgment on every document. In litigation, the expensive mistakes are made early: the pleading that concedes too much, the letter that closes off a settlement path, the deadline that slips. At Astris Law, every document that leaves the firm has been drafted or settled by the senior lawyer running the matter, not reviewed in the margins of someone else's draft.
Continuity. The lawyer you meet at the first consultation is the lawyer at the mediation and the lawyer instructing counsel at trial. Nothing is lost in handover because there is no handover.
Fewer conflicts, lower overheads. A boutique disputes practice can usually act where larger firms are conflicted out by their existing client base, and without CBD floor space built into the rates, more of what you pay goes to the work. We are rarely the cheapest quote you will get. We are the one where the number means something.
Frequently Asked Questions About Litigation
What does a litigation lawyer do?
A litigation lawyer acts for parties in disputes: advising on the strength of a claim or defence, corresponding with the other side, preparing and filing court documents, gathering evidence, briefing barristers where needed, negotiating settlements and running the matter at trial. Much of the value is delivered before any court sees the file, in the strategy set at the start and the deadlines met along the way. At Astris Law, a senior litigation lawyer handles the matter personally from first assessment to final outcome.
How much does litigation cost in Queensland?
It depends on the court, the complexity and how far the matter runs. A straightforward Magistrates Court debt claim may cost a few thousand dollars; a contested Supreme Court proceeding that goes to trial can run into six figures. What matters is knowing the numbers before you commit. We price litigation in stages, with a written estimate and a decision point before each stage, so you can compare the cost of the next step against what is actually at stake. We are rarely the cheapest quote you will get. We are the one where the number means something.
Do all disputes go to court?
No, and most should not. The majority of commercial disputes settle through negotiation, mediation or a well-timed offer, and Queensland courts actively expect parties to attempt alternative dispute resolution before trial. A court may impose costs consequences on a party who unreasonably refuses to mediate. The point of preparing a matter properly is that you settle from strength: the other side pays more, or accepts less, when they can see you are ready to run it.
What should I do first if I am sued or served with court documents?
Note the date you were served and get advice immediately, because the time limits start running from service, not from when you get around to reading the documents. In Queensland, a notice of intention to defend is generally due within 28 days of service of a claim, and some documents carry much shorter windows: a statutory demand gives you 21 days, with no extensions. Do not contact the other side before getting advice, and do not ignore the documents, because default judgment can be entered against you. Bring everything to a lawyer early, while all the options are still open.
Can I recover my legal costs if I win?
Usually a proportion of them. In Queensland the general rule is that costs follow the event: the unsuccessful party is ordered to pay the successful party's costs, assessed on the standard basis, which in practice recovers only part of what you actually spend. The gap can be narrowed with strategy: formal offers to settle under the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld) and well-constructed Calderbank offers can shift the other side onto an indemnity costs basis if they unreasonably press on. Costs exposure and recovery prospects should be part of the advice before proceedings start, not a surprise at the end.
In a dispute, or about to be? Start with one hour.
The fixed-fee 60-minute consultation gets you real advice on your position, your deadlines and your options, from the senior lawyer who would run the matter. If court documents have been served, call today: the time limits are already running.